Lentil & Chickpea Lasagne

Method

For the Pulses

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight the day before you're going to cook them
2. The next morning, drain the water and put in a pot covered with water. Season the water with salt (I also added a few garlic cloves and a few bay leaves to my pot). Bring the water to the boil, then turn down to a simmer. Cook until the peas are soft (around 1 hour)
3. Rinse the lentils repeatedly until the water runs clear
4. Bring to the boil in salted water, then leave to simmer until soft (around 30-45 minutes)

For the Ragu

1. Warm some olive or rapeseed oil in a big pot and gently cook the onions & garlic until very soft
2. Add the carrots, peppers and mushrooms to the pot.
3. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, water, sea salt, black pepper and paprika. Leave to simmer for around an hour to allow the flavours to combine and the sauce to thicken up
4. Next add the cooked lentils and chickpeas and leave covered for another 30-45 minutes until the sauce is desired thickness and the pulses are very soft

For the Cheese Sauce

1. Put the milk, thyme, garlic, sea salt & white pepper into a pot and warm over a gentle heat
2. Meanwhile, melt the butter over a low heat. Add the flour to make the roux and stir for a few minutes until well combined
3. Start adding the warm milk gradually to the roux and whisking continuously to make the sauce very smooth. Keep adding the milk and whisking until you've used all the milk
4. Next, stir in the cheese until fully melted and incorporated

Assembly and Baking 

1. While both the ragu & cheese sauce are still hot, cover the bottom of a gastro with the ragu, then stir in 2 or 3 ladles of the cheese sauce and swirl the two sauces together.
2. Next, cover the sauces with a layer of lasagne sheets. Repeat two more times
3. Top the lasagne with a final layer of cheese sauce and sprinkle over some more cheese
4. Cover with a lid or foil and bake at 180 for around 40 minutes
5. Uncover and put back in the oven to brown the cheese
6. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a round 30 - 40 minutes before serving